One of the themes of Manchester City’s attack this season has been their ability to operate in a narrow or wide shape depending on the available players and the opponent’s setup. “We adapt to the quality of the players that we have,” said Guardiola this month before facing Salford City in the FA Cup. Here, Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders are operating as the attacking midfielders in the 4-2-2-2 behind Marmoush and Semenyo. Bernardo then finds Semenyo, who smartly attacks the space with his first touch…… before slotting the ball into the far corner to double City’s lead. This delay is enough for Marmoush and Reijnders to combine and attack the space behind Thiaw and Botman.

Source: International New York Times February 23, 2026 04:34 UTC